Matt Kuchar issues belated apology after controversial $1,000 tip
The American, who is tenth on golf’s all-time rich list, tipped his local caddy just 0.38%
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Your support makes all the difference.Matt Kuchar has issued a full apology after the American’s measly 0.38% tip to a stand-in caddy became the subject of widespread dismay.
David Giral Ortiz, a local caddy at the luxury Mayakoba resort, was paired with Kuchar for the event in November in which the world No 22 went on to clinch a ninth PGA Tour victory.
It’s customary that a caddy receives 10% of the winning purse, and Ortiz believed he was entitled to $130,000 of Kuchar’s $1.3m prize.
However, when the 40-year-old, who had planned to open a laundromat with his girlfriend as well as replace the curtains and repaint the walls of his small home 20 minutes from the resort, opened an envelope with his earnings for the week, he found he had been tipped just $1,000.
Ortiz claimed his trust in Kuchar – who is tenth on the all-time earnings list having claimed over $46m in his career – had been taken advantage, but Kuchar then doubled down on his stance this week when he told Golf.com: “I kind of think someone got in his ear…For a guy who makes $200-a-day, a $5,000 week is a really big week.”
However, Kuchar has now made a rapid U-turn and promised to pay Ortiz in full and issued an unreserved apology for his “insensitive” actions.
“This week, I made comments that were out of touch and insensitive, making a bad situation worse,” Kuchar said. “They made it seem like I was marginalising David Ortiz and his financial situation, which was not my intention. I read them again and cringed. That is not who I am and not what I want to represent.
“My entire Tour career, I have tried to show respect and positivity. In this situation, I have not lived up to those values or the expectations I’ve set myself. I let myself, my family, my partners and those close to me down, but I also let David down.
“I plan to call David tonight, something that is long overdue, to apologise for the situation he has been put in, and I have made sure he has received the full total that he has requested.
“I never wanted to bring any negativity to the Makayoba Golf Classic. I feel it is my duty to represent the tournament well, so I am making a donation to the event to be distributed to the many philanthropic causes working to positively impact the communities of Playa del Carmen and Cancun.
“For my fans, as well as fans of the game, I want to apologise to you for not representing the values instilled in this incredible sport. Golf is a game where we call penalties on ourselves. I should have done that long ago and not let this situation escalate.”
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